Walking still an uneven affair along Jl. Thamrin

Walking still an uneven affair along Jl. Thamrin

Leony Aurora, Jakarta

A walk in Jakarta is no walk in the park. Under scorching sun and
suffocating haze, pedestrians invariably end up walking along the
road because the sidewalks -- if there are any -- are either
small, full of potholes, electricity poles or vendors, or a
combination of all the above.

But a stroll in front of Nikko Hotel on Jl. Thamrin, Central
Jakarta, is well worthwhile. The sidewalk is five-meters wide and
dotted with palm trees.

Unfortunately, when The Jakarta Post passed the hotel on
Wednesday, a few meters after the hotel the sidewalk narrowed
again to its original width of 1.5 meters to 2.5 meters, although
parts already had a new design of red concrete slabs bordered by
gray square stones.

Other parts are already being excavated or are still left
untouched.

The reconstruction and widening of sidewalks on Jl. Thamrin is
part of the city administration's efforts to provide safe
walkways for pedestrians. The City Parks Agency has set aside Rp
10 billion (US$1.09 million) for the project, which commenced in
May.

So far, only the sidewalks in front of the hotel, the Japan
Embassy and the Ministry of Religious Affairs have been widened.

"We will move our fences back one meter," said Soehariyanto,
president of Wisma Kosgoro management. "We are waiting for the
agreement with the administration to be signed."

Building managements along the three-kilometer thoroughfare
have been asked to sacrifice part of their land for the sidewalk
and to remove their fences.

"Are the administration and police ready to protect the area
(if we don't have fences)?" asked Soehariyanto.

John Robert of the management of Surya building, located next
to the United Nations (UN) office, concurred. "The East Timor
Embassy is stationed in this building. We are responsible for its
safety."

He said that even at present, the office was too open. "People
at the bus stop in front of this office come here to use the
toilet or to shelter from heavy rain," he said. "It will be worse
without a fence."

Aside from security, limited space is another problem. Surya
building, the UN office and Wisma Thamrin have only enough space
in front of their buildings for one car to pass.

As a solution, the plants in front of Wisma Thamrin have been
removed to make way for almost one meter more of pavement.

The idea of spacious pedestrian walkways surfaced in 1997 when
Jakarta was under Governor Surjadi Soedirdja. It popped up again,
without any follow-up, in 2002. Governor Sutiyoso pushed for its
implementation at the end of 2003.

However, the targeted group -- the pedestrians -- seem to be
unexcited about the project. "It would be better to widen the
road instead of the pavement," said Mira, a 35-year-old employee.

Another woman, who preferred to remain anonymous, could not
agree more, and added, "The road is more congested since the
busway took one lane."

"It would be better to give the money to help the unemployed,"
said Andi, 42. "The sidewalks needed some improvement, but not
something that extravagant. I think this project is more about
prestige. People who work on Jl. Thamrin are the haves, and they
don't walk that much."